American Psycho

Description

Set among the wealthy elite of 1980's Manhattan, American Psycho explores the mind of a yuppie serial killer who takes twisted pleasure in murder.

Based on the controversial novel by Bret Easton Ellis, the film takes a dark, cynical and often frightening glimpse at one man's taste for the good life and violent cruelty. The movie, scheduled for an April 14, 2000 release, was directed by Mary Harron and adapted for the screen by Harron and Guinevere Turner.

Christian Bale (Empire of the Sun, Velvet Goldmine) takes on the leading role of Patrick Bateman, the 26-year-old Wall Street trader with a passion for murder. The movie follows the days and nights of the handsome, well-educated Patrick as he enjoys the excesses of New York's high society while disguising his insanity and powerful lust for evil.

Reese Witherspoon (Election, Cruel Intentions) also stars along with Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto and Chloe Sevigny. American Psycho is the second of Easton's novels to be adapted for a feature film. In 1987, Less Than Zero followed the wild and sordid lives of privileged youth in Los Angeles.

The film is a first-person narrative that is both a black comedy that satirizes '80s materialism, as well as a psychotic crime drama. We are given an insider's look into the life of a lunatic. However, Patrick Bateman is a lunatic who shops in the finest stores, parties at the hottest nightspots and dines in the trendiest restaurants, that is, when he isn't torturing and murdering countless victims.

Lions Gate Films is distributing American Psycho, which was shot on location in Toronto. At one point, Hollywood heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio was considering to play the insane leading man, but later withdrew. Because the novel is graphic and extremely violent, the production faced many victim's groups voicing strong opposition to the film and its content. The novel's intense violence has been toned down for the s